DOCSLIB.ORG

A Look at Taiwan's Cooperation With

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Look at Taiwan's Cooperation With Austral: Brazilian Journal of Strategy & International Relations e-ISSN 2238-6912 | ISSN 2238-6262| v.9, n.17, Jan./Jun. 2020 | p.104-126 A LOOK AT TAIWAN’S COOPERATION WITH PARAGUAY (2009 – 2019) Maria Antonella Cabral López1 Introduction The Republic of China - Taiwan is a complex territory because of its historical development. This island of 35,980 km2 (Central Intelligence Agency 2019), is located 160 kilometres away from China, and was first occupied by settlers of Malay-Polynesian origin and then by Japanese or Chinese settlers, on which there are different assessments. Although there are previous explorations towards the sixth century, it was towards the fifteenth century, during the Ming Dynasty, when the closest contacts with China began. It was subsequently established as the Dutch colony of “Ilha Formosa”, but this only lasted a couple of decades until it was established as a district of the Chinese province of Fujian (Toro Dávila, Chacón Morales and Pérez Le-Fort 2001). In 1885 it was established as a province of China, which under the Treaty of Shimonoseki, had to cede this island to Japan, that had won the first Sino-Japanese war in 1895 (Ríos 2016). After the end of World War II and the Civil War (1946-1949), the People’s Republic of China was established2. This prompted the Kuomintang3 to reach Taiwan and establish, under the leadership of Chang KaiShek, an authoritarian government with the United States’s support (Arnone 2017). US recognition of Taiwan´s sovereignty, ceased in 1979- even though it remains the same, but under other circumstances (Library of Congress of the United States of America 2005). 1 Professor of International Economics at the National University of Asunción, Paraguay. E-mail: [email protected] 2 Due to the similarity in the official denominations, and in order to simplify the reading, this article has chosen to name the Republic of China- Taiwan or Insular China as Taiwan (or Taipei), and the People´s Republic of China or Continental China as China. 3 “Chinese Nationalist Party” (Arnone 2017). 104 Maria Antonella Cabral López This last fact influenced so that the countries of the West progressively followed the same path. According to Ríos (2019), only 17 countries recognized Taiwan in February 2019, all of them islands of the Pacific, the Caribbean Sea and Latin America, an exception to the Vatican and Swaziland. The number fell to 15 in September of the same year, when in the same week, Solomon Islands and Kiribati stopped recognizing Taiwan4. In South America, Paraguay is the only country that maintains relations with Taipei, which makes it a relevant ally for this island. Diplomatic relations between Paraguay and Taiwan date from 1957 (Embassy of the Republic of Paraguay in the Republic of China (Taiwan), 2018; Ministry of Finance, 2019). At that time, the Paraguayan Ambassador in Venezuela, Carlos Montanaro, and Taiwanese Foreign Minister Yeh, Kung Chao signed an “Agreement for Diplomatic Notes for the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations” in Caracas (Fleitas 2017). The bilateral relationship has extended over time and with relative intensity. The purpose of this material is to present the fundamental aspects of Taiwan’s cooperation with Paraguay in the last decade. The article is divided into four sections: the first one introduces the issue of South-South Cooperation (SSC); while in the second it considers Taiwan as an actor of international cooperation. The third addresses the bilateral relationship between the Asian country and Paraguay; summing up, it is presented a synthesis on the cooperation carried out between 2009-2019. Methodology This research is a bibliographic-documentary type. For its development diverse sources were used such as scientific journals, books, periodicals, treaties, reports and other documents. The level of this research was descriptive, since its purpose was to present the fundamental aspects of Taiwan’s SCC with Paraguay for the 2009-2019 period. This issue is relevant in attention to the dispersion of the available information and the shortage of documentation about this issue. The main aspects and the synthesis for the article were obtained through and analytical method, which allowed us to reach and present these results. 4 The Solomon Islands announced its decision in 16/09/2019 and Kiribati in 20/09/2019 105 A Look at Taiwan’s Cooperation with Paraguay (2009 – 2019) Results South–South cooperation: some previous concepts Cooperation implies a link between international actors, which seeks the mutual satisfaction of interests by making use of the resources available for them for the implementation of coordinated and/or solidarity actions (Calduch cited by Ayllón 2007). Sotillo (2011) explains the development of cooperation as a part of international cooperation and this last theme does not have a unique, adjusted and complete definition, valid for all times and places. The latter author argues that cooperation has been loading and downloading content. Because of this, it is essential to be clear about the priorities for development, since these are the ones that will serve to establish the content and objectives that condition the types of development cooperation (Sotillo, 2011). In this same sense, Calabuig Tormo et al. (2010) present a review of the different predominant conceptions of development and the influence which they have exerted on cooperation activities over the last decades. Likewise, Fernández Franco and Román Marugán (2013) cite four characteristics of the international cooperation system: a. Discretionality, because the basis is the free will of the donors; b. Plurality, because there are different actors; c. Decentralization, because despite the role of the OECD Development Assistance Committee, there is no central or hierarchically superior authority; d. Adaptation to the historical context, since it must be understood according to the moment, which reaffirms the above. Those characteristics allow the inference that the typology of cooperation can be very varied. The same authors establish three categories for cooperation: a. According to its thematic scope (political, economic, technical and development promotion); b. According to their degree of institutionalization (informal or organic); c. By the number of participants (bilateral, multilateral and triangular) (Fernández Franco & Román Marugán, 2013). In order to escape the scope of this material, there is no need to deepen the different existing classifications and the one that considers the nature of donors and recipients is directly addressed, depending on whether these countries are from the north or south. According to this criterion, cooperation can respond to the North-South logic, when the donor is a developed country 106 Austral: Brazilian Journal of Strategy & International Relations v.9, n.17, Jan./Jun. 2020 Maria Antonella Cabral López and the recipient is a developing country; and South-South56 when both donors and recipients are developing countries. SSC is therefore the result of the search for a greater presence of emerging countries, which, lacking sufficient resources of hard power, use cooperation to reinforce their presence and influence in the area of interest (Velázquez Flores, Prado Lallande & Díaz 2015). Likewise, Hirst (2012, 17) argues that SSC has an instrumental sense for foreign policy, which allows it to be valued as a soft power tool. Although the literature, mainly in English, considers that the fields of study are: a. Financial funds for development (concessional loans with or without subsidized elements and non-concessional loans at commercial interest rate); b. Capacity building (technical cooperation, scholarships, exchange of experts, etc.); c. Funds for trade and investment facilitation (export credits, etc.), these are not the only ones. For its part, the studies about SSC have considered both, reimbursable and non-reimbursable funds. (Malacalza 2019, 73). This reflects a political-technical dimension of SSC, which relates to instruments such as development finance and reimbursable funds in more favorable terms, among others. Malacalza (2019), presents an interesting summary of works that demonstrate this vision. The same author maintains that in addition to this dimension there is another: the economic-commercial one, which includes instruments such as non-refundable funds, on the related quality, there is a “curious shortage of work” (Malacalza 2019, 72). Taiwan as a player of international cooperation Firstly, the reasons why Taiwan provides international cooperation will be addressed. Following Chan (1997), there are two types of justifications, one legal and the other social. The first is established in the Taiwanese 5 Cohn (2012) pointed out that the countries of the South are those least developed socially and economically speaking. They generally have a colonial past, their income levels per capita are more modest, the infrastructure for communications and transportation is inadequate and access to technological resources is limited. They may present institutional short comings and its relevance in the international system and international organizations is less significant. 6 Alemany, C., & Freres, C. (2018, p. 63) state that the South is considered as a group of subordinate countries in the global system, which were not mostly distinguished, because “they were not relevant”, since developed countries are the ones which determine the facts. The same authors argue that although emerging countries have gained relevance,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Media, Actors of References and Power in Paraguay”
    Revista Latina de Comunicación Social # 069 – Pages 229 to 247 Funded research | DOI: 10.4185/RLCS-2014-1010en | ISSN 1138-5820 | Year 2014 How to cite this article in bibliograhies / References R Juste de Ancos, L Soler, M Ortí Mata (2014): “Media, actors of references and power in Paraguay”. Revista Latina de Comunicación Social, 69, pp. 229 to 247. http://www.revistalatinacs.org/069/paper/ 1010_Quito/13jen.html DOI: 10.4185/RLCS-2014-1010en Media, actors of references and power in Paraguay R Juste de Ancos [CV] [ ORCID] [ GS] Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar / Simón Bolívar Andean University, Quito, Ecuador - [email protected] L Soler [CV] [ ORCID] [ GS] Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) / University of Buenos Aires and Conicet - [email protected] M Ortí Mata [CV] [ ORCID] [ GS] Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) / Complutense University of Madrid - [email protected] Abstract [EN] Introduction. This research study aims to empirically address the political dynamics reflected on Paraguay’s print press during the 2013 elections campaign. Method. This empirical study is based on the social network analysis of the name references included in a sample of news articles. Results. The results of the study include several graphical representations of the coverage of political actors during the 2013 elections campaign, which was strongly conditioned by the previous impeachment and removal of former President Fernando Lugo. Conclusions. This study of name references confirms the continuity of the traditional parties in Paraguay as institutions with political and media power, and the secondary and peripheral role of the actors that emerged in the political landscape when Fernando Lugo won the presidency of Paraguay.
    [Show full text]
  • Legislative Behavior, Mass Media, and Foreign Policy Making: the Case of Paraguay
    Feliú Ribeiro, Pedro, Camilo López Burian, and Francisco Urdinez. 2021. Legislative Behavior, Mass Media, and Foreign Policy Making: The Case of Paraguay. Latin American Research Review 56(2), pp. 334–352. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25222/larr.592 POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Legislative Behavior, Mass Media, and Foreign Policy Making: The Case of Paraguay Pedro Feliú Ribeiro1, Camilo López Burian2 and Francisco Urdinez3 1 Universidade de São Paulo, BR 2 Universidad de la República, UY 3 Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, CL Corresponding author: Pedro Feliú Ribeiro ([email protected]) Does national media news coverage affect the behavior of legislators when deciding foreign policy matters? This article aims to disentangle the relationship between the media and legislative behavior in foreign policy, using Paraguay as a case study. We analyze the level of public debate on international affairs, measured by the frequency of news in the newspaperABC Color in the six months before the roll-call votes on the Chamber of Deputies of Paraguay. The literature on Latin American studies finds a lack of parliamentary interest in foreign affairs due to low voter attention to this subject, and therefore a low impact on reelections. We find the relationship between parliamentary polarization and public interest in a bill to be mediated by mass media. After estimating a Tobit model, we observe a significant and positive relationship between the news coverage a law receives and the degree of polarization among parliamentarians. Thus, our empirical evidence contradicts the idea that there is a lack of electoral interest in foreign policy. We confirm this finding through qualitative data gathered from in-depth interviews.
    [Show full text]
  • Deep Divisions, Disillusionment Linger After Failed Power Play in Paraguay Andrã©S Gaudãn
    University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository NotiSur Latin America Digital Beat (LADB) 5-26-2017 Deep Divisions, Disillusionment Linger After Failed Power Play in Paraguay Andrés GaudÃn Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/notisur Recommended Citation GaudÃn, Andrés. "Deep Divisions, Disillusionment Linger After Failed Power Play in Paraguay." (2017). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/notisur/14519 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Latin America Digital Beat (LADB) at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in NotiSur by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LADB Article Id: 80304 ISSN: 1060-4189 Deep Divisions, Disillusionment Linger After Failed Power Play in Paraguay by Andrés Gaudín Category/Department: Paraguay Published: 2017-05-26 In the last week of March, the two biggest names in Paraguayan politics—President Horacio Cartes and his predecessor, Fernando Lugo (2008-2012)—used all the power at their disposal to force their way into next year’s general election despite being constitutionally barred from competing. They failed, leaving the country submerged in chaos and compromising its precarious stability. To seek a second term, Cartes and Lugo would have to either ignore or amend an imprecise, 35- word section in the Constitution known as Article 229. Lugo and half of the country’s constitutional lawyers argue that Lugo should be allowed to seek a new term because he is not the sitting president. Cartes and the rest of the legal experts say the text should be amended so that the current leader can also run again (NotiSur, Dec.
    [Show full text]
  • Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections
    Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections Mark P. Sullivan Specialist in Latin American Affairs September 17, 2012 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov 98-684 CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections Table 1. South America Independence Head of Last Next Country Date Government Election Election FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER, Argentina July 9, 1816 Oct. 23, 2011 Oct. 2015 Cristina Bolivia Aug. 6, 1825 MORALES, Evo Dec. 6, 2009 Dec. 2014 Oct. 3, 2010/ Oct. 31, Brazil Sept. 7, 1822 ROUSSEFF, Dilma Oct. 2014 2010 Dec. 13, 2009/Jan. 17, Chile Sept. 18, 1810 PIÑERA, Sebastián Dec. 2013 2010 May 30, 2010/June 20, Colombia July 20, 1810 SANTOS, Juan Manuel May 2014 2010 Ecuador May 24, 1822 CORREA, Rafael Apr. 26, 2009 Apr. 2013 Paraguay May 14, 1811 FRANCO, Federicoa Apr. 20, 2008 Apr. 2013 Apr. 10, 2011/June 5, Peru July 28, 1821 HUMALA, Ollanta Apr. 2016 2011 (2nd round) Oct. 25, 2009/ Nov. Uruguay Aug. 25, 1825 MUJICA, José Oct. 2014 29, 2009 Venezuela July 5, 1811 CHÁVEZ, Hugo Dec. 3, 2006 Oct. 7, 2012 a. Fernando Lugo, elected Paraguay’s President on April 20, 2008, was impeached by Paraguay’s Congress on June 22, 2012, and succeeded by Vice President Federico Franco. The rapid impeachment process raised concern about President Lugo’s due process, and created tensions with several countries in the region. Two regional bodies, the Common Market of the South (Mercosur) and the Union of South American Nations (Unasur), suspended Paraguay’s participation.
    [Show full text]
  • Paraguay: El Arraigo Político Y Económico De La Derecha
    Paraguay: el arraigo político y económico de la derecha Paraguay: the political and economic right-wing permanence Sarah Patricia Cerna Villagra Centro de Estudios Sociológicos de El Colegio de México [email protected] Rodrigo Manuel Ibarrola Universidad Nacional de Asunción [email protected] Resumen El objetivo de este trabajo es presentar las continuidades del sistema político paraguayo bajo tres dimensiones: electoral, políticas de gobierno e ideología. A partir de los resultados electorales de las elecciones de abril de 2018, la conformación del gobierno electo y del poder legislativo, así como las políticas públicas implementadas en los dos primeros años de gobierno de Mario Abdo Benítez, las cuales muestran el arraigo de la derecha conservadora en el sistema político que se ha dado bajo el coloradismo durante la democracia paraguaya. Este continuismo bajo el gobierno de Mario Abdo se expresa principalmente en su política económica y en temas de derechos humanos, junto con ciertos rasgos autoritarios que han caracterizado al estilo de gobernar del actual presidente paraguayo, en especial en temas como la seguridad, la equidad de género y su la alineación ideológica con sus pares de derecha del Conosur. Palabras clave: elecciones; derecha; conservadurismo; política económica. Abstract The objective of this paper is showing the continuities of the Paraguayan political system under three dimensions: electoral, government policies and ideology. Based on the electoral results of April 2018 elections, the conformation of the elected government and the legislative, as well as the public policies implemented in the !rst two years of Mario Abdo Benitez´s government. This work shows the right-wing and conservative continuity of the political system that it´s occurs under coloradismo during the Paraguayan democracy.
    [Show full text]
  • An Opportunity for Paraguay: the Challenges for Fernando Lugo
    NUEVA SOCIEDAD NRO. 216 JULIO-AGOSTO 2008 An Opportunity for Paraguay: The Challenges for Fernando Lugo ANDREW NICKSON Fernando Lugo’s triumph in the Paraguayan presidential elections is historic, not only because it is the first time in the world that an ex-bishop has won a presidential election, but also because it marks the end of the Colorado Party’s hegemony, after more than sixty years in power. After his victory, Lugo ratified his decision to renegotiate with Brazil the unjust contract of the Itaipú hydro-electrical plant and his willingness to increase taxes on the prosperous soy bean producers and improve the unequal distribution of the land. However, it will not be easy. Paraguay inherits serious development problems, while there is widespread lack of confidence in democracy and a corrupt and outdated political class. Furthermore, Lugo can count on little support in parliament and the predictable resistance of the Colorado Party which still controls a powerful system of client relationships. Andrew Nickson: MA in Economics, University of Cambridge. Reader in Public Ma­ nagement and Latin American Development in the International Development De­ partment at the University of Birmingham. He was Director of the European Union State Reform Project, Paraguay, and Director of the European Union Public Adminis­ tration Reform Programme for Latin America. Key Words: Elections, Politics, Soy Beans, Energy, Fernando Lugo, Paraguay. The victory of Fernando Lugo, a former Catholic bishop, in the presidential election on 20 April 2008 marks a turning point in the tortured political history of land-locked Paraguay, one of the poorest and most unequal countries in Latin America.
    [Show full text]
  • Guardian.Co.Uk/World/2008/Aug/15/4
    Anti-corruption bishop Anti-corruption bishop becomes Paraguay pr... http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/15/4 Paraguay politics Anti-corruption bishop becomes president of Paraguay • Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales offer statements of support • Presidency is first elected post for Fernando Lugo Associated Press guardian.co.uk, Friday 15 August 2008 17.26 BST Paraguay's president Fernando Lugo greets the crowd after his swearing-in ceremony in Asuncion. Photograph: Ivan Alvarado/Reuters Leftist ex-bishop Fernando Lugo became Paraguay's president today, ending six decades of one-party rule in a key step in the poor South American nation's democratic transformation. Tens of thousands of Paraguayans cheered as Lugo raised his hand in the air and was sworn in, wearing sandals and his trademark white mandarin-collared shirt to set himself apart from the suit-wearing politicians. Speaking in both Spanish and the Guarani indigenous language, Lugo pledged to end the misery and corruption that has defined Paraguay under the Colorado Party, which supported the brutal 1954-1989 dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner and has ruled ever 1 of 3 since. 7/6/09 2:49 PM Anti-corruption bishop Anti-corruption bishop becomes Paraguay pr... http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/15/4 His first challenge will be to balance competing and potentially explosive interests. Elements of both the left and right have challenged his authority, raising the specter of political chaos and civil unrest. Landless peasants who have been seizing private property are threatening a much larger wave of invasions on land owned by rich farmers as early as this weekend.
    [Show full text]
  • Fernando Lugo Assumes Paraguayan Presidency, Ending One-Party Rule LADB Staff
    University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository NotiSur Latin America Digital Beat (LADB) 8-29-2008 Fernando Lugo Assumes Paraguayan Presidency, Ending One-Party Rule LADB Staff Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/notisur Recommended Citation LADB Staff. "Fernando Lugo Assumes Paraguayan Presidency, Ending One-Party Rule." (2008). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/ notisur/13717 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Latin America Digital Beat (LADB) at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in NotiSur by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LADB Article Id: 51034 ISSN: 1060-4189 Fernando Lugo Assumes Paraguayan Presidency, Ending One-Party Rule by LADB Staff Category/Department: Paraguay Published: 2008-08-29 Fernando Lugo was inaugurated president of Paraguay on Aug. 15, becoming the country's first president in over six decades not to belong to the Asociacion Nacional Republicano (ANR, Partido Colorado). The former Roman Catholic bishop, running with the Alianza Patriotica para el Cambio (APC) coalition, won the April election against the Colorados and other opposition parties by a broad margin (see NotiSur, 2008-04-25). His rise to power marks the end of 61 years of one-party rule in Paraguay, and he has promised to fight the widespread corruption and poverty that marked those years, although fulfilling that promise will be a massive challenge. Almost shouting to swear that he would uphold the Constitution, the typically mild-mannered Lugo was met with thundering cheers from more than 50,000 Paraguayans crowded around a stage outside Congress in the capital Asuncion.
    [Show full text]
  • Troubles Continue for Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo LADB Staff
    University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository NotiSur Latin America Digital Beat (LADB) 12-11-2009 Troubles Continue for Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo LADB Staff Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/notisur Recommended Citation LADB Staff. "Troubles Continue for Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo." (2009). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/notisur/13833 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Latin America Digital Beat (LADB) at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in NotiSur by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LADB Article Id: 50687 ISSN: 1060-4189 Troubles Continue for Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo by LADB Staff Category/Department: Paraguay Published: 2009-12-11 Amid a growing wave of coup rumors and harassed by the rightist opposition, large rural landowners, and even a faction of the co-governing Partido Revolucionario Liberal Autentico (PRLA) of Vice President Federico Franco, Paraguayan President Federico Lugo is going through increasingly difficult days. Press coverage has been inundated with the specter of his removal by impeachment. Every day, the media repeat statements by political leaders who accuse the president of "instigating a class struggle," calls from landowners exhorting their colleagues to arm themselves to defend their properties, threats of lawsuits from women who say they have children by Lugo from clandestine romantic relationships (see NotiSur, 2009-05-01) while he was a Catholic bishop (with the president's niece making an accusation not as a victim but as a witness), and even never-proven accusations of ties to alleged guerrilla groups that Lugo is supposedly financing and arming.
    [Show full text]
  • The Deposition of Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo and Its Repercussions in South American Regional Organizations* Brazilian Political Science Review, Vol
    Brazilian Political Science Review ISSN: 1981-3821 Associação Brasileira de Ciência Política Jatobá, Daniel; Luciano, Bruno Theodoro The Deposition of Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo and its repercussions in South American regional organizations* Brazilian Political Science Review, vol. 12, no. 1, e0006, 2018 Associação Brasileira de Ciência Política DOI: 10.1590/1981-3821201800010006 Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=394357143005 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System Redalyc More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America and the Caribbean, Spain and Journal's webpage in redalyc.org Portugal Project academic non-profit, developed under the open access initiative The Deposition of Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo and its repercussions in South American regional organizations* Daniel Jatobá Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil Bruno Theodoro Luciano University of Birmingham, Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom In June 2012, the Paraguayan Parliament executed a procedure that removed President Fernando Lugo from office. Since 1993, only two presidents have completed their mandates, Juan Carlos Wasmosy (1993-1998) and Nicanor Duarte Frutos (2003-2008). With the exception of the latter, all elected presidents have faced either successful or attempted coups, mostly organized by the military. In the case of Lugo, South American governments reacted by suspending Paraguay from two regional organizations (Unasur and Mercosur). This article
    [Show full text]
  • Lugo: Paraguay No Abandonará Mercosur Y Se Acercará a China
    n. 56, 1 a 25 de abril de 2008 Lugo: Paraguay no abandonará Mercosur y se Lugo ganó la presidencia con acercará a China el 41% de los votos, Blanca Ovelar (Partido Colorado) El presidente electo Fernando Lugo afirmó que Paraguay no quedó segunda con 31%, y abandonará el Mercosur, "sino que intentará fortalecer el general (r) Lino César los mecanismos de integración", y anunció que buscará Oviedo (UNCE) obtuvo el relaciones con China, actualmente inexistentes. 22%. "La integración regional debe lograrse con un consenso entre los países miembros del Mercosur para eliminar las asimetrías" que afectan principalmente a Paraguay y Uruguay, expresó Lugo . Los otros miembros plenos del bloque son Argentina y Brasil, al que podría acoplarse próximamente Venezuela. Al ser consultado sobre la posibilidad de un relacionamiento diplomático con la República Popular de China, contestó: "Sin presión de nadie, Paraguay, como país soberano e independiente desde 1811, comenzará a trabajar para concretar relaciones con ese país". Lugo da así un giro en política exterior, porque hasta hoy Paraguay era el único país de América del Sur que apoyaba a Taiwán para que en las Naciones Unidas sea reconocido como nación independiente. "Si otras naciones tienen relaciones comerciales y diplomáticas con la China continental, ¿por qué tendríamos que quedarnos atrás?", se preguntó. Perú, Diario La Republica, 23/04/08) Mientras Lula rechaza, Amorim admite El presidente de Brasil, Inácio Lula da Silva, desde Africa rechazó renegociar el valor de la compensación por energía cedida que su país paga por el excedente paraguayo en Itaipú. A su turno, el jefe de Itamaraty, Celso Amorim, sostuvo que no está descartada esa posibilidad.
    [Show full text]
  • Background- Paraguay1 Paraguay Is a Landlocked Country with A
    Background- Paraguay1 Paraguay is a landlocked country with a population of 6 million wedged between Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia, whose territory includes large swaths of swampland, subtropical forest, and “Chaco wilderness” made of savanna and scrubland. Much of the land is in the hands of a tiny elite and successive governments have been slow to implement land reform. It remains one of the region’s poorest countries, with over 40% of its people living in poverty. Political unrest, corruption and chronic economic problems have plagued the country’s fragile democracy since it emerged from the 35-year dictatorship of the late General Alfredo Stroessner in 1989. Mistreatment of prisoners and the dispossession of indigenous peoples continues to be a problem. Before independence, Paraguay was the subject of territorial struggles among indigenous and Spanish groups. Originally, Paraguay was the home of the Guaraní people, who defended their independent villages from incursions by the Inca Empire. In the 1530s, Spanish settlers arrived searching for gold, touching off power struggles between urban Spanish settlers, rural Jesuit missionaries, the Spanish kingdom, and neighboring countries. In the early 1810s, Paraguay rejected competing territorial bids by Argentina and Brazil and declared its independence from Spain. Following independence, Paraguay was ruled by a series of dictators who drove the country into the devastating War of the Triple Alliance against three of its neighbors. Paraguay’s first dictator, José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia (“El Supremo”) isolated the country and brutally repressed potential rivals, stripping Spanish elites of wealth and power and executing over 68 Guaraní elites suspected of participating in a coup attempt.
    [Show full text]